OP 

INCORPORATION 

AND 


STATED  RULES 


OP  THE 

SOCIETY  OF  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN 


FOR  PROPAGATmG  THE  GOSPEL 


AMOJfS 


THE  HEATHEN, 


PHILABELPHTAt 

Printed  by  Conrad  Zentler,  No,  104,  North  Second  fitretti 


1825. 


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AN  ACT 


To  incorporate  the  Society  for  propagating  the 
Gospel  among  the  Heathen^  formed  by  Mem¬ 
bers  of  the  Episcopal  Church  of  the  United 
Brethren  or  Unit  as  Fratrum. 

Section  1^?.  HERE  AS  it  has  been  repre¬ 
sented  to  this  House  by  the  Reverend  John 
Ettwein,  one  of  the  Bishops  of  the  Chureh  called 
Unitas  Fratriim  or  United  Brethren,  and  the 
Reverend  John  Meder,  Pastor  in  Ordinary  of  the 
said  Church  in  the  City  of  Philadelphia,  that 
since  the  year  of  our  Lord  One  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  forty,  when  the  said  Church  began 
to  make  settlements  in  America,  the  principal 
aim  of  their  Members,  coming  over  from  Europe, 
was,  to  carry  the  glorious  truths  of  the  Gospel 
to  the  Indians  here ;  that  they  have  without  inter¬ 
mission  continued  their  labours  among  the  In¬ 
dians,  and,  notwithstanding  the  increase  of  ex¬ 
penses  and  other  difficulties,  are  resolved  to  pur¬ 
sue  and  support  this  commendable  work,  and  for 
this  purpose  have  formed  a  Society  for  propa¬ 
gating  the  Gospel  among  the  Heathen,  and  en¬ 
tered  into  certain  Rules  of  Association,  (a  copy 
whereof  they  have  subjoined  to  their  petition,) 
and  prayed  to  incorporate  the  said  Society  : 


—  4 


And  xvhereas^  the  propagation  of  the  Gospel 
among  the  Indians  of  America,  is  of  great  im¬ 
portance  to  the  citizens  of  this  and  other  the 
United  States,  and  may,  by  the  blessing  of  God, 
be  conducive  to  the  peace  and  security  of  the  in¬ 
habitants  and  settlers  of  our  frontiers,  and  by 
living  examples  of  the  Missionaries  and  the  con¬ 
verts,  the  Savages  may  be  induced  to  turn  their 
minds  to  the  Christian  religion,  industry,  and 
social  life  with  the  citizens  of  the  United  States : 

And  whereas^  this  House  is  disposed  to  exer¬ 
cise  the  powers  vested  in  the  Legislature  of  the 
Commonwealth,  for  the  encouragement  of  all 
pious  and  charitable  purposes  : 

Section  2d,  Be  it  therefore  enacted^  and  it  is 
hereby  enacted  by  the  Representatives  of  the  Free^ 
men  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania  in 
General  Assembly  met^  and  by  the  Authority  of 
the  same^  That  the  Reverend  John  Ettwein,  Bish¬ 
op;  Frederick  William  von  Marshall,  gentleman; 
the  Reverend  Andrew  Hlibnerand  Paul  Munster; 
Hans  Christian  von  Schweinitz,  gentleman;  the 
Reverend  David  Zeisberger,  Junior,  John  August 
Klingsohr,  Jeremiah  Denke,  Charles  Gotthold 
Reichel,  Daniel  Kohler,  Christian  Benzien  and 
Godfrey  Brezel,  the  present  Directors; — The 
Reverend  Bernhard  Adam  Grube,  Frederick 
Peter,  Senior,  and  Jacob  Van  Vleck,  the  present 
Assistant  Directors  of  the  said  Society; — The 
Reverend  John  Herbst,  John  Meder,  Francis 


^  5  — 


Bohler,  James  Birkby,  Lewis  Bbhler  and  Abra¬ 
ham  Reincke  and  others,  the  Ministers  in  the 
different  Brethren’s  Congregations,  and  their  suc¬ 
cessors,  and  all  other  members  of  said  Society, 
who  have  and  hereafter  shall  subscribe  the  Rules 
of  the  said  Society,  be,  and* they  are  hereby  made, 
declared  and  constituted,  to  be  a  corporation  and 
body  politic  and  corporate  in  law  and  in  fact,  to 
have  continuance  for  ever,  by  the  name,  style  and 
title  of  “  The  Society  of  the  United  Brethren  for 
propagating  the  Gospel  among  the  Heathend'^ 

Section  3d,  And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the 
authority  aforesaid..  That  the  said  corporation  and 
their  successors,  by  the  name,  style  and  title  afore¬ 
said,  shall  for  ever  hereafter  be  persons  able  and 
capable  in  law  to  purchase,  have,  receive,  take, 
hold  and  enjoy  in  fee  simple  or  of  less  estate  or 
estates,  any  lands,  tenements,  rents,  annuities, 
liberties,  franchises  and  other  hereditaments  by 
the  gift,  grant,  bargain,  sale,  alienation,  enfeoff¬ 
ment,  release,  confirmation  or  devise  of  any  per¬ 
son  or  persons,  bodies  politic  and  corporate, 
capable  and  able  to  make  the  same.  And  further., 
that  the  said  corporation  and  their  successors  may 
take  and  receive  any  sum  or  sums  of  money  and 
portion  of  goods  and  chattels,  that  have  been  or 
hereafter  shall  be  given  or  bequeathed  to  them  or 
the  said  Society,  by  any  person  or  persons,  bodies 
politic  or  corporate,  able  and  capable  to  make  a 
bequest  or  gift  thereof:  Provided^  tliat  no  misno- 


6 


aier  of  the  said  corporation  and  their  successors^ 
shall  defeat  or  annul  any  gift,  grant,  devise  or 
bequest  to  the  said  corporation,  if  the  intent  of 
the  owner  shall  sufficiently  appear  upon  the  face 
of  the  gift,  testament  or  other  writing,  whereby 
any  estate  or  interest  was  intended  to  pass  to  the 
said  corporation,  nor  shall  any  non^user  of  the 
rights,  liberties,  privileges  and  authorities  or  any 
of  them  hereby  granted  to  the  said  corporation 
create  or  cause  a  forfeiture  thereof. 

Section  Aith.  And  he  it  further  enacted  by  the 
authority  aforesaid^  That  all  donations  and  contri¬ 
butions,  rents,  interests  and  profits  arising  from 
the  real  and  personal  estate  of  the  aforesaid  cor¬ 
poration,  shall  by  the  said  Directors  and  their 
successors  from  time  to  time  be  applied  and  laid 
out  for  the  maintenance  and  support  of  their  Mis¬ 
sionaries  and  their  Assistants,  for  building  and 
supporting  places  of  public  worship  and  schools, 
providing  books  for  the  better  educating,  in¬ 
structing  and  civilizing  the  children  of  the  con¬ 
verts  and  others,  among  the  nations  who  shall  be 
desirous  to  commit  their  youths  to  the  care  and 
instruction  of  the  said  Missionaries,  and  for  such 
other  pious  and  charitable  uses,  as  are  conform¬ 
able  to  the  true  design  and  intent  of  the  said 
Society,  ^ 

Section  5  th,  And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the 
authority  aforesaid,.  That  the  said  corporation  and 
their  successors  shall  not  by  deed  or  otherwise, 


~  7 


grant,  alien,  convey  or  otherwise  dispose  of  any 
part  or  parcel  of  the  real  estate  in  the  said  corpo¬ 
ration,  vested  or  to  be  vested,  or  change,  or  in¬ 
cumber  the  same  to  any  person  or  persons  what¬ 
soever,  except  by  and  with  the  consent  of  a  ma* 
jority  of  the  regular  contributing  members  of  the 
said  Society,  convened  for  that  purpose. 

Section  6th,  And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the 
authority  aforesaid^  That  the  said  Directors  and 
Assistant  Directors,  and  their  sqccessors,  or  a 
majority  of  them,  shall  and  may  from  time  to 
time  convene  the  members  of  the  said  Society, 
to  make  rules,  by-laws  and  ordinances,  and  to 
transact  every  thing  requisite  for  the  good  govern¬ 
ment  and  support  of  the  affairs  of  the  said  Society, 
agreeable  to  their  stated  rules :  Provided  always^ 
that  the  said  rules,  by-laws  and  ordinances,  or 
any  of  them,  be  not  repugnant  to  the  laws  and 
statutes  in  force  within  this  Commonwealth. 

Section  1th,  And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the 
authority  aforesaid^  That  the  said  Society  and  their 
successors,  shall  ha,ve  full  power  and  authority  to 
make,  have  and  use  one  common  seal,  with  such 
device  and  inscription  as  they  shall  think  proper, 
and  the  same  to  break,  alter  and  renew  at  their 
pleasure. 

Section  ^th.  And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the 
authority  aforesaid,^  That  the  said  corporation  and 
their  successors,  by  the  name,  style  and  title 
aforesaid,  shall  be  able  and  capable  in  law,  to  sue 


8  — 


knd  be  sued,  plead  and  be  impleaded,  in  any 
court  or  courts,  before  any  judge  or  judges,  jus¬ 
tice  or  justices,  in  all  and  all  manner  of  suits, 
complaints,  causes,  matters  and  demands  of  what¬ 
soever  kind,  nature  or  form  they  may  be,  and  all 
and  every  other  matter  and  thing  therein  to  do,  in 
as  full  and  effectual  a  manner,  as  any  other  person 
or  persons,  bodies  politic  or  corporate  in  this 
Commonwealth  in  the  like  cases  may  or  can  do. 

Section  9th,  Provided  also,  and  it  is  further 
enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid.  That  the  clear 
yearly  value  or  income  of  the  messuages,  houses, 
lands,  tenements,  rents,  annuities,  or  other  here¬ 
ditaments  and  real  estate  of  the  said  corporation, 
shall  not  exceed  the  sum  of  two  thousand  pounds, 
lawful  money  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  to  be 
taken  and  esteemed,  exclusive  of  the  monies 
arising  from  the  contributions  of  the  actual  mem¬ 
bers,  and  donations  of  the  honorary  members  or 
other  friends  to  the  said  institution. 

Signed  by  order  of  the  House^ 

THOMAS  MIFFLIN,  Speaker. 

Enacted  into  a  law,  at  Philadelphia,  on 
Wednesday,  the  twenty-seventh  day  of  February, 
in  the  year  of  our  Lord  One  thousand  seven  hun¬ 
dred  and  eighty-eight. 

PETER  ZACHARY  LLOYD, 
Clerk  of  the  General  Assembly, 


STATED  RULES 


OF  THE 

SOCIETY  OF  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN 

FOR 

PROPAGATmG  THE  GOSPEL 


AMOJTG 


THE  HEATHEN. 


ARTICLE  L 

This  Society  shall  have  its  fixed  seat  at  Beth¬ 
lehem,  in  Northampton  County,  in  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania,  where  the  Board  of  Directors  will 
meet,  and  the  stated  general  meetings  shall  be 
held. 


ARTICLE  II. 

All  Bishops,  Presbyters  and  Deacons  of  the 
Brethren’s  Church,  residing  in  the  United  States, 
and  all  such  Brethren  as  are  actual  members  of 
the  Elders’  Conferences  in  the  Brethren’s  Con¬ 
gregations  in  this  country,  are,  by  virtue  of  their 
office  and  character,  members  of  this  Society. 

Others  may  be  received  as  members,  as  here¬ 
inafter  directed. 


10 


ARTICLE  III. 

/ 

Only  such  members  of  the  Society  who  are 
members  of  the  Brethren’s  Church,  shall  have  a 
seat  and  vote  in  the  Society,  and  are  considered 
as  actual  members. 

Besides  these,  the  Society  may  receive  per¬ 
sons  of  other  churches  and  denominations,  who 
are  friends  and  w^ell- wishers  to  the  furtherance  of 
the  Gospel  among  the  heathen,  as  honorary  mem¬ 
bers;  who  shall  be  admitted  to  the  general  meet- 
ins:s,  but  have  no  vote  in  the  deliberations  of  the 
Societv. 


ARTICLE  IV.. 

As  the  true  and  only  design  of  the  Society  is, 
to  assist  such  Missionaries  and  their  Assistants, 
who  from  time  to  time  are  sent  by  the  Directors 
of  the  Brethren’s  Missions,  to  preach  the  Gospel 
to  the  heathen,  we  will  with  pleasure  further  this 
blessed  work,  by  all  the  means  in  our  power,  and 
not  confine  our  assistance  to  mere  stated  charities 
and  contributions. 

ARTICLE  V. 

For  constant  Directors  of-  the  Society,  we 
choose,  constitute  and  appoint  those  Brethren, 


11  — 


who  are  appointed  to  superintend  the  concerns  of 
the  Brethren’s  Congregations  in  North  America, 
and  their  successors  in  office. 

Out  of  the  number  of  said  Directors,  a  Presi¬ 
dent  and  a  Vice-President  shall  annually  be  elect¬ 
ed  in  the  general  meeting  of  the  Society.  Three  ^ 
Assistant  Directors,  one  Secretary,  one  Treas¬ 
urer,  and  three  Auditors,  shall  likewise  annually 
be  elected  in  the  same  general  meeting,  out  of 
the  number  of  the  actual  members  of  the  Society. 

I'he  said  Directors,  Assistant  Directors,  Secre¬ 
tary  and  Treasurer  shall  constitute  the  Board  of 
•  * 

Directors. 

ARTICLE  VI. 

4 

The  Treasurer  shall  receive  and  account  for 
all  moneys  belonging  to  the  Society,  and  keep 
proper  accounts  in  books  provided  for  that  pur¬ 
pose.  An  account  of  his  receipts  and  disburse¬ 
ments,  after  having  been  duly  audited,  and  the 
vouchers  examined  by  the  Auditors,  shall  an¬ 
nually  be  laid  before  the  Society,  in  the  said  gen¬ 
eral  meeting. 


ARTICLE  VII. 

I 

The  Directors  shall,  at  the  annual  meeting, 
communicate  to  the  members  of  the  Society,  ac- 


counts  of  the  state  and  progress  of  the  missions, 
and  a  full  report  of  their  proceedings. 

ARTICLE  VIIL 

The  Directors  shall,  at  least  once  every  year, 
appoint  a  general  meeting  of  the  Society.  But 
the  President,  with  the  concurrence  of  four  of 
the  Directors,  may  call  special  meetings,  if  the 
concerns  of  the  Society  shall  require  it. 

ARTICLE.  IX. 

It  is  unalterably  decreed,  that  all  donations 
and  bequests  to  the  Society,  and  all  its  posses¬ 
sions,  effects  and  property  whatsoever  and  where¬ 
soever,  shall  at  all  times  and  forever  be  and  re¬ 
main  appropriated,  secured,  made  use  of,  and 
expended,  for  and  to  the  support  and  benefit  of 
the  missions  of  the  Brethren’s  Church  among  the 
heathen,  and  to  no  other  use  or  purpose  what¬ 
soever. 

And  all  the  members  of  the  Society,  for  them¬ 
selves  and  their  heirs,  hereby  expressly  renounce 
all  and  every  claim  to  the  property  of  the  Society, 
and  promise,  that  if  any  of  the  Society’s  posses¬ 
sions  or  effects  whatsoever  shall  be  intrusted  to 
their  hands,  or  if  their  names,  or  the  name  of  any 


—  13 


of  them  shall  be  used  in  trust  for  the  Society, 

they  will  faithfully  and  without  reserve  perform 

and  fulfil,  at  all  times  and  in  all  cases,  such 

% 

orders  and  directions  respecting  the  property  thus 
intrusted  to  them  or  any  of  them,  as  aforesaid,  as 
the  Society  by  the  Directors  shall  think  proper 
to  give. 

ARTICLE  X. 

As  we  have  no  other  view  or  aim  but  the  fur¬ 
therance  and  propagation  of  the  knowledge  of 
Jesus  Christ  among  the  poor  benighted  heathen, 
and  esteem  it  a  high  privilege  to  support  that 
praiseworthy  work  to  the  best  of  our  abilities, 
being  constrained  to  it  by  the  love  of  Christ, — 
all  the  Directors,  Assistant  Directors,  and  offi¬ 
cers  of  the  Society,  renounce  for  ever  all  de¬ 
mands  and  claims  for  salaries  or  compensations 
for  their  services.  Provided,  that  all  contingent 
expenses,  which  shall  be  necessarily  incurred  by 
the  Directors,  Assistant  Directors  and  officers 
aforesaid,  or  any  of  them,  shall  be  defrayed  by 
the  Society ;  and  that  the  Directors  be  authorized 
to  allow  a  reasonable  compensation  to  such  agents 
and  officers,  as  they  shall  or  may  deem  expedient 
to  appoint. 


ARTICLE  XL 


Application  for  membership  shall  be  made  to 
the  Board  of  Directors.  If  in  their  opinion  the 
objects  of  the  Society  may  be  promoted  by  the 
admittance  of  the  applicants,  the  Directors  shall 
propose  them  for  admittance  to  the  Society,  at 
the  next  general  meeting.  The  votes  of  a  ma¬ 
jority  of  the  voting  members  present,  shall  be 
necessary  for  such  admission. 

ARTICLE  XII. 

As  every  member  is  at  liberty  to  withdraw 
from  the  Society,  the  Society  also  reserves  to 
itself  the  right  of  excluding  any  member,  when¬ 
ever  it  shall  be  found  necessary  :  Provided^  that 
no  such  exclusion  shall  take  place,  unless  by  a 
previous  vote  of  the  Directors,  and  the  consent 
of  two-thirds  of  the  voting  members  present  at  a 
general  meeting.  All  persons  who  have  been 
excluded  in  manner  aforesaid,  or  who  by  separa¬ 
tion  from  the  Brethren’s  Church  have  ceased  to 
be  members  of  the  Society,  may  be  re-admitted 
as  members,  by  a  majority  of  the  votes  of  the 
members  at  a  general  meeting. 


—  15  — 


ARTICLE  XIII. 

A  printed  copy  of  the  Act  of  Incorporation! 
together  with  the  Stated  Rules  of  the  Society, 
shall  be  delivered  to  each  new  member,  as  soon 
as  he  shall  have  subscribed  his  name  to  the  Stated 
Rules,  in  a  book  kept  for  the  purpose. 

ARTICLE  XIV. 

The  Society  can  in  future  agree  upon  new 
articles  and  rules,  if  circumstances  require  it : 
Provided^  that  the  same  be  not  contrary  to  the 
object  of  these  present  articles,  and  the  well-being 

of  the  Society. 

« 

ARTICLE  XV. 

These  articles  hereby  agreed  upon  and  ac¬ 
cepted,  can  only  be  altered  after  mature  delib-^ 
eration,  and  the  approbation  of  two- thirds  of  the 
members  present  at  a  general  meeting ;  and  if  any 
alteration  is  made,  it  shall  in  no  wise  be  contrary 
to  the  Constitution  of  the  Brethren’s  Church,  and 
the  instructions  for  the  Missionaries  of  the  Breth¬ 
ren  among  the  heathen.  And  that  each  such  in¬ 
tended  alteration  may  be  maturely  examined  by 


the  Directors  and  every  voting  member,  it  shall 
be  proposed  in  a  general  meeting,  and  in  the  next 
general  meeting  of  the  Society,  it  shall  be  con¬ 
sidered  and  brought  to  a  determination. 


